Descent (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 1)

by Kristina Stanley

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  On her way back to her office, Kalin heard a helicopter thundering above the center of the resort. She jumped off the gondola and ran to the hillside. An air ambulance helicopter swooped into the air space above the resort, flew between the Alpine Tracks chair lift and the forest, and lowered over a team of people about three quarters of the way down the run. The chopper blew snow in all directions as it hovered a meter off the ground, nose dipped toward the surface and tail angled toward the sky.

  At the base of the run, people grouped and took in the drama on the hill.

  The chairs on the lift hung motionless, frozen in place.

  Kalin watched the ski patrol team attend to the downed skier. By his posture, she knew it was Ben crouched face to face with the helicopter’s nose. He held a skier’s head stable. The skier lay in a rescue sled, and another patroller pulled a strap tight, preparing him for transport. Kalin felt pressure across her chest as the unsteady machine thrummed above Ben and the others.

  Ben secured the sled to the side of the helicopter. He flattened to the ground and wrapped his arms over his head to ward off the snow pelting him. The chopper blew backward and took off. The thump of the blades echoed between mountain peaks, creating a thunderous noise.

  Kalin waited for ski patrol to clear the area and ride down the hill. Ben stopped his snowmobile beside her. She rested her hand on his shoulder. His smile was all the reassurance she needed that he was fine. She resisted touching her lips to his. “What happened?”

  “A German racer fell during his training run. He has no feeling in his legs. Might be temporary, but I don’t think so.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Edwin Bucher.”

  “Where are his skis?”

  “One of the patrollers probably took them to mountain ops.”

  “Can you go secure them? I need to talk with Reed.” Kalin took off running and raced toward Reed’s office.

  * * *

  Kalin burst into her boss’s office without asking Gertrude’s permission. “There’s been an accident.”

  Reed’s expressionless face gave her no hint of what he was thinking.

  “Edwin Bucher fell during his training run. Ben thinks he might be paralyzed.”

  “Slow down. Does he know that for sure?”

  “No. Ben told me Edwin had no feeling in his legs.”

  “Where’s Edwin now?”

  “He’s being airlifted, so I assume it’s to Calgary.”

  “I need to speak with someone who saw the accident. Someone who works here, not someone from the ski team.”

  “I’ll find out who did and send them here.”

  “Did Ben see him fall?”

  “He treated Edwin, but I don’t know if he saw the accident.”

  “I’ll call the coach of the German team.” Reed made a move to pick up his phone, but Kalin held her hand in the air, motioning him to stop. “There’s something else.”

  Reed left his hand on the phone but didn’t dial. Kalin explained the situation with the keys and the gap in her security process.

  “Let’s hope today was an accident. If not, your lapse in security might have made it possible for someone to access the tuning room.”

  Ouch, that hurt. If she’d banned Edwin for fighting in the bar instead of giving him a warning, he wouldn’t have been skiing and he wouldn’t have been injured. Banning him might have caused a media headache but nothing like his crash would.

  Reed picked up his cell and had a discussion with the German coach.

  Kalin gripped the back edge of a chair to keep her hands still and waited. Her breathing had almost returned to normal.

  “That was interesting,” Reed said. “The German coach is blaming Jeff Morley for Edwin’s accident. He said the fight they had wasn’t the first one. Last year, after a race at Lake Louise, Jeff and Edwin got into a shoving match. Jeff fell, broke his wrist and missed some key races. Maybe he’s carrying a grudge. Have you already called the RCMP?”

  “No. I wanted to speak with you first.”

  “Call them right away. If today wasn’t an accident, Jeff Morley could be the guy.”

  Kalin returned to her office and called Miller. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted anyone to overhear. A portable heater rested in the corner. She turned the knob to high, waited for the rush of hot air and put her hands over the vents. The little heater competed with the draft sneaking through a crack in the window frame. Miller answered on the third ring, and Kalin updated him on the situation.

  “The racer was Edwin Bucher.” Kalin wanted Edwin’s crash deemed an accident. Otherwise, someone was out and about killing skiers.

  “How is he?”

  “You can probably find out faster than we can,” Kalin said. “I think he’s on his way to Calgary. Ben said he had no feeling in his legs.”

  “Did Ben treat him?”

  “He was first on scene.”

  “The same as with McKenzie.”

  Kalin’s pulse raced. She refused to believe Miller considered Ben a suspect. “What are you saying?”

  “Nothing. Just thinking aloud. Did he see any similarities?”

  “He didn’t say. Are you going to question Jeff Morley?”

  “Why would you ask that?”

  “Because of the fight with Edwin. Maybe—”

  “Maybe nothing. You’re jumping to conclusions. There’s nothing yet to indicate today was anything more than an accident.”

  Kalin allowed herself a small smile at his conservative policeman approach. He wouldn’t speculate with her. “Are you going to check out Edwin’s equipment?”

  “Of course. Where is it now?”

  “I asked Ben to secure his skis in the mountain ops building.”

  Miller’s sigh expressed his displeasure.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The section of the room allocated to the German tuning team looked as if the area had been abandoned in a hurry. Skis remained in tuning blocks, half-melted wax lay in globs and tools rested haphazardly around the area.

  The action in the rest of the tuning room impressed Kalin. Even with the two tragedies, the other tuners hadn’t lost focus. The remaining tuning stations were alive with the smell of melted wax and buzz of filing, but the chatter had diminished.

  Kalin hesitated at the entryway and stood beside a smiling Amber. Since she’d transferred Amber from the lifts to the tuning room, her attitude had improved. Was her change in behavior due to the visibility and added level of responsibility, or just that it was warmer inside?

  Needing to exude confidence, Kalin forced the look of gloom off her face. Edwin’s accident scared her, but she didn’t want to cause panic among the remaining skiers. She plastered on a smile and asked Amber, “What are you grinning at?”

  “Donny.”

  Kalin couldn’t help but join Amber in a real smile. Now she understood Amber’s change in attitude. Kalin was getting used to Donny’s resemblance to her late husband. Her feelings weren’t rational, but the reminder of Jack was part of the reason she liked Donny. She’d loved Jack and couldn’t let him fade into her memory. When she first met Ben, she felt as if she were betraying Jack, and it had taken a while for her to give herself permission to fall in love with Ben. “You like him?”

  Amber blushed. “It’s not like that. He’s nice. That’s all. I don’t know him well.”

  “But you’d like to?”

  “I guess. I asked him if he wanted me to help him ski again. He said he’d think about it.”

  “That’s cool.”

  Donny lifted a ski and whirled it into place, clearly an expert in handling the equipment. He caught Amber’s eye and winked.

  Kalin elbowed her.

  “Stop, he’ll see you,” Amber said with laughter in her voice.

  Kalin suppressed her thought that both Donny and Amber were suspects, and walked through the tuning room, studying each person and wondering if one of them had murdered McKenzie. The ide
a she could be in the room with a murderer gave her the creeps.

  Charlie Whittle stood in the corner, talking on his phone and shaking his head. Kalin closed in on him.

  “Gotta go.” He slipped his phone into the pocket of his apron. “I guess you want to talk to me about the accident.”

  “That and other things.” Kalin stared at a ski resting behind the German’s tuning table. “Do you know Edwin Bucher?”

  “I’ve seen him around.”

  “What’s Jeff Morley’s relationship with him?”

  “They’re competitors, so it’s competitive.”

  His answer was not overflowing with information. Charlie must understand how serious her questions were and yet he answered as if she were an annoyance. “Does Jeff blame him for missing races last year?”

  “I’m not his counselor. How would I know?”

  Kalin figured he didn’t want to talk about Jeff in a personal way, so she changed tactics. “Has anyone talked with the coach of the German team or their head tuner?”

  “I don’t know. They both went to Calgary.”

  She noticed the empty tuning station beside Charlie’s. “Where’s Nora?”

  “She called in sick.”

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “I’m not sure. Yesterday, Ian Reed asked me to tune his skis and not let Nora touch them. I think she might be at home sulking.” Charlie grimaced. “Sorry, that was uncalled for. The rest of us have to cover for her, and she’s been coming in hung over lately. I didn’t expect that from her.”

  Kalin had promised to keep Nora’s secret, so she couldn’t stand up for her. “Why doesn’t Ian want her to tune his skis?”

  “He’s spooked by McKenzie’s death.”

  “What does that have to do with Nora?”

  “Not a clue,” Charlie said.

  “Don’t be too hard on her. She’s going through a lot.” Kalin would call Nora later and let her know Charlie thought she was drinking. “Has Fred been by yet?”

  Charlie’s phone rang, but he left the call unanswered in his apron pocket. “You know, not getting in here after hours is going to be a pain in the arse. How are we supposed to get our job done?”

  “How often does a tuner need in here after seven?”

  “That depends. I stay late maybe three times a week, and usually I see one or two other people in here.”

  Donny removed a ski from the tuning block and set it in the rack behind his tuning station. He caught Kalin’s eye, but didn’t say anything.

  Kalin lowered her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me you had keys to the building? You know I’m trying to secure the room.”

  “I needed to get my work done and didn’t think you’d care if I came in.”

  “Were you angry with McKenzie before he died?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “He saw you got caught drinking and driving, and I’m wondering what that did to your relationship with him?”

  “I think it’s time for you to go.”

  * * *

  Snow dripped off Ben’s ski boots onto Reed’s pristine carpet, and he didn’t know whether he should move or drip in one spot. He felt as if he were fifteen again and standing in the principal’s office being reprimanded for cutting too many classes. He didn’t get how Kalin could work with the guy. Ben wasn’t even in trouble and yet he felt guilty. Kalin had asked him to tell Reed what he saw, but that didn’t mean he was enjoying the experience.

  Reed glanced at Ben’s boots but said nothing.

  Ben used all of his self-control not to shuffle his feet. He’d been asked to get there quickly and hadn’t had time to change into winter boots. Sweat formed underneath his ski jacket, and he undid the zipper to cool down. He held his black helmet hanging against the side of his leg.

  “I need to know exactly what you saw today,” Reed said.

  Where should he start? And was Reed looking for mistakes in his work? “I’d been on duty since eight. The run was stable. I mean, not too many racers fell today. Not like the other day.”

  “You’re saying the conditions weren’t at fault.”

  “I don’t think so.” A second person crashing made Ben sick. He wanted the fall to be an accident, not murder. “Edwin Bucher fell on the bottom quarter of the run.”

  “Did you see him fall?”

  “He shot forward, his right boot ejected from his binding and he landed hard on his back.”

  “Could you tell if he hit something or caught an edge?”

  “No. It happened too fast. The Germans had their video going. I’m sure they caught the accident.”

  “Anything else I need to know?”

  “Constable Miller came to see me. I gave him Edwin’s equipment. The cops are going to have their own expert analyze the bindings. Miller was on his way to see the German team when he left me.”

  “Good work today,” Reed said with an almost smile on his face.

  Ben stopped by Kalin’s office after he finished meeting with Reed. He eased in, shut the door and engaged the lock. Kalin leaned against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. Only for her, could he let down his guard. She always knew when he needed her. He hadn’t had to say a word. Somewhere along the line, Kalin had become his life. His friends were betting he couldn’t hold a relationship together just because he never had before. They were wrong. He wouldn’t fall for Vicky’s tricks.

  Ben reluctantly let go of Kalin and kissed her lips. “I love that you have an office with a door.”

  She intertwined her fingers with his. “You look drained.”

  “I just met with Reed, but that’s not the reason. I can’t shake the look on Edwin’s face when he asked me if he was going to be okay. I said yes.”

  “What else could you say? He needed to hear that.”

  “What if someone tampered with his bindings too?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that since he fell. I don’t want to believe it. That would make me partly responsible. I didn’t properly secure the gear, and I should have banned Edwin for fighting.”

  “You can’t blame yourself. I know you hate when I interfere with your job, but I don’t want you nosing around about McKenzie or Edwin. It’s too dangerous. What if you find out who the murderer is? He could come after you. It’s the RCMP’s job to investigate.”

  “I know it is, but Reed asked me to help. I can’t ignore what he wants. Nothing bad is going to happen to me.”

  “You’re already stressed out. You’re barely home in the evenings. It’s not good for you. Please let this go. Let Reed think you’re working on it and that you didn’t find out anything. He’ll never know.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “I know. I didn’t actually mean you should.” Ben couldn’t force Kalin to do what he wanted, but that didn’t keep him from wishing he could. He wanted her to understand how important she was to him. Finding a murderer wasn’t her problem.

  “When can you go home?” she asked.

  “Soon, I think.”

  “Good. Chica’s probably ready to go out. I need to meet with Fred and then I want to drop by Nora’s. I’ll call when I know what time I’ll be home.”

  Ben massaged the small of her back. “Why don’t you come home early? I’ll keep you entertained.”

  “As tempting as that is, I have to deal with this.”

  “Your cold is going to get worse,” he said, taking one more shot at persuading her to forget about work for a while.

  “Stop worrying.”

  Ben kissed her neck. “Did I mention I love that you have an office with a door?” Ben opened the lock and headed home.

  * * *

  Disgruntled crossed Kalin’s mind when Ted Brightman arrived at the tuning room with the new locks in hand. As a locksmith, he appeared technically competent but oddly didn’t seem to care much about security.

  Brightman eyed both Kalin and Fred. “I don’t know what good this is going to do. When people need a ke
y, I’ll get an email and it’ll add extra work for nothing.”

  His attitude bothered Kalin. She worked hard at recruiting the right type of people for the resort. Helpful, friendly, willing to work with others were all attributes she interviewed for and didn’t find in Brightman, but he’d come to the resort long before she had, and she’d give him a chance. “I’ll make it easy for you. You are not to issue a key to this door unless you get an email from me.”

  He grimaced. “The other directors won’t like that.”

  “I’ll talk to them, and I’ll send you an email, so you have my instructions in writing.”

  “I don’t need anything in writing. I do what I’m told.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way. Anytime you get a request for a key, send my email as a response. Then you won’t have to take the brunt of the complaints. I will.”

  “Huh.” He nodded as if he approved. He pulled a screwdriver from the chest pocket of his overalls, dismantled the existing lock on the tuning room door and installed the new one with speed. He handed both Kalin and Fred a key and started on the exterior door of the administration building.

  “Now what?” Kalin asked Fred.

  “What about giving Amber Cristelli a key? Someone needs to open and close the room each day.”

  The clang of Ted’s screwdriver hitting the tiled floor distracted Kalin. She studied both doors for a moment. “I’m not comfortable with that. She’s too junior. Can you make it part of the security rounds for a while?”

  “Sure. I’ll have whoever’s on duty meet Amber first and last thing each day. I’ll instruct them to sweep the room before they lock the door.”

  “Charlie Whittle complained about not being allowed in the room during the off hours,” she said.

  Brightman stopped moving, and Kalin figured he was trying to hear Fred’s answer. She lifted her palm toward Fred and shook her head.